


broken glass.

by GalacticGoldfish



Series: lovers destiny [5]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Abuse, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bleeding, Blood, Blood and Injury, Comfort, Dealing with past trauma, M/M, Panic Attack, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Tenderness, Trauma, tender jaskier, traumatized geralt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:13:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23086822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalacticGoldfish/pseuds/GalacticGoldfish
Summary: geralt has a lot of issues to work through after living through yennefer's moods and fits. when he breaks one of jaskier's perfume bottles he panics, worried about what the bard might say or do once he finds out.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: lovers destiny [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642645
Comments: 17
Kudos: 481





	broken glass.

**Author's Note:**

> its canon in the books & the games that yennefer abused the hell out of geralt when they were together. going so far as to throw things at him, hit him and threaten to teleport him from a height that he would not survive from. if you've come here to complain about how i've portrayed their relationship im sorry go somewhere else.

The sound of glass breaking hit his ears before the heavy smell of spilled perfume filled his nose. Geralt felt as though he couldn't breath regardless. Not because of the floral scent but because of the dread that began to weight down his heart. He had broken one of Jaskier's bottles. One that seemed as though it had been pretty before it crashed to the ground. Probably meaning that it had been expensive. If not the liquids inside then surely just the bottle itself was worth something. Jaskier of course was out for the moment, procuring their dinner for the evening but Geralt knew that he could come back at any moment. 

Without hesitating he dropped to the floor. His mind racing about the things that might happen or be said once Jaskier got back and found this. Perhaps if he cleaned up the mess before he got back. If it looked like he was sorry. Or like it was an accident then maybe he wouldn't be too angry with him. Geralt had always been so careful with Jaskier's things. But now he had messed up. His mind flashed to when he accidentally knocked over things of Yennefer's how angry she got. Even if they didn't break they were somehow ruined now that he had knocked the container over and maybe spilled a little. The memory of her hand against his face. Slapping it. Not tender. Made a phantom pain across his cheek.

She'd once teleported him to a cliff for an accidental knocking over of one of her potions. It had just been a silly thing. He had been trying to get her to engage with him somehow. To talk to him somehow. He'd stepped back. The glass had shattered. And all of a sudden he found himself very close to the edge of a very tall cliff. If he hadn't been quick he would have died from it. Though later she told him he would have been fine considering there was a very deep lake at the bottom of that cliff. He would have probably survived the impact. Probably. But now he ignored the pain in his fingers as he tried to pick up shards of the perfume bottle.

Slivers of glass digging into his fingers and larger pieces cutting into the spots where he gripped them too tightly. Blood began to mix with the mess of perfume on the floor. The foreign liquid causing the cuts to sting slightly when he tried to lift glass out of them. It was pain he felt he deserved though. He had been clumsy. He had been foolish. Or course there had to be some sort of punishment to go along with it. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps. It was all he could think. Ways to explain himself so that the bard wouldn't leave him for this. 

Never in all their days had Jaskier raised a hand or even his voice to him in seriousness. Deep down Geralt knew that. But fear and an ingrained routine had made him like this. That was where Jaskier found him, with hands bleeding and still trying to pick up every single piece of glass. It looked as though a man had been murdered from all the blood on Geralt's hands. In a panic Jaskier set the tray of food down and moved quickly towards the witcher, clearly concerned for what had been going on. Then even more concerned when Geralt flinched as Jaskier reached out his hand. Geralt had flinched many times when it came to dealing with Yennefer. She had enjoyed it. Knowing that she held power over a witcher so much as to make him flinch at the raise of her hand made her feel strong. So it was instinct to give her what she wanted and soon it was ingrained when she raised her voice to be prepared for the hit. Or the teleport. Or whatever she decided was a suitable punishment for him that time.

Jaskier also knew that flinch all too well. It was the flinch of a formerly battered lover terrified that they were about to be hit again. Terrified that they were about to be punished for something that was entirely out of their control. He'd seen it many a days with women and men that he'd bedded and been bedded by. It broke his heart to see the man he loved so desperately so broken right now over a perfume bottle. Though he knew that wasn't the real root of the issue in the slightest. His quick movements had startled Geralt. Though it seemed as though the witcher's mind wasn't really focusing on him. Instead he seemed lost in picking up the shards of glass desperately. Instead he moved away from him for a moment. As much as it pained him to do so. Grabbing the medical supplies from the witcher's bag he sat on the floor, level with Geralt.

**"Geralt, can I see your hands?"**

Jaskier was gentle. Making sure that his voice didn't sound like a demand. Making sure that Geralt knew that he had a choice on if he wanted to come over here. As desperately as he wanted to force him to have a look at his hands that would do no good to help him with what was going on in Geralt's mind. The witcher looked at him almost dully, remorse on his face as he made his way towards Jaskier. His knees dragging through the mess of glass, blood, and perfume. Gently Jaskier reached out, taking one of his hands to begin to clean it while Geralt braced for some sort of impact. But none came. 

The only pain he felt was a slight stinging sensation as Jaskier poured something over his hands to clean them. Instead of speaking Jaskier hummed quietly to him. Lavender blue. It calmed the witcher's heart and mind enough to where he could focus again. Focus on where he was and who he was with. This wasn't one of Yennefer's rooms. This wasn't someone who would punish him for a mistake. In his heart he knew he was safe. But his mind was taking a few more moments than that to catch up. So there they sat on the floor together. Jaskier humming the song over and over again to keep them both grounded as he picked glass from Geralt's fingers.

It wasn't until he was satisfied with the results and the witcher's hands were bandaged did he go quiet. Once again moving slowly he opened his arms for Geralt. Not wanting to make him flinch ever again. Now he knew though. He knew that there were times that even he needed to move slowly. Geralt relaxed his head against the bard's chest. Breathing steadily for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime. Though really it had only been an hour or so maybe. He relaxed when he felt Jaskier's arms around him. 

Jaskier's hands began rubbing circles into his back and gently brushing down his hair to help calm him. To help him know that he was loved beyond measure. 

**"We don't have to talk about it."**

About what had just happened and why. At least not yet they didn't.

**"Just know that I would never, ever, raise a hand to you Geralt. Accidents happen but for the love of Melitele please do not ever try to ruin your beautiful hands picking up shards of glass like that. You worried me."**

**"I'm sorry... I was just looking for-"**

**"It doesn't matter. It's a bottle of perfume I can get another anywhere. You don't have to explain it. I would break every bottle myself just to show you how little it means. I would break every bottle of perfume in the world to show you how little it means. You beautiful man are worth more than anything to me."**

And Jaskier meant it with every fiber of his being. He would burn his lute to save Geralt's life if he needed to. The witcher's arms slowly wrapped around Jaskier and there they sat for hours. Geralt half laying on the floor as he clung for dear life to Jaskier. And Jaskier holding him as if he was a rope tethering Geralt to this world, and not the one the witcher had created in his mind where he so wrongly thought he was unworthy.


End file.
